Ash holder



1935- A. s. GUCKENHEIMER 2,025,169

ASH HOLDER Filed Nov. 19, 1954 Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The object of this invention is toprovide a simply-constructed, inexpensive ash and butt holder of the type usually removably placed upon table tops or ash. stands, the construction being such that the ashes from cigarettes, cigars and pipes, as well as the butts from cigars and cigarettes and the stems of burnt matches, will fall by gravity into a trap-like chamber of such construction that the smoke and odors will be confined therein and the lighted butts will soon be smothered to thereby not only render the device sanitary, but also to keep the room free of objectionable odors and smoke and avoid the unsightly appearance of the discarded refuse, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing annexed:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one simple embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective View showing the manner in which the cover section may be removed for the purpose of emptying the trapchamber.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, 5 designates the bottom or base section of the device, and 6 the top or cover section thereof. The box or casing formed by these two sections is generally oblong-shaped in horizontal section, having its two opposite sides substantially parallel. The upper section telescopes down into the lower section by means of flange I with sufficient friction to hold the parts together but not suflicient to prevent them from being readily separated for cleaning out the receptacle below.

The top wall of the lid section is provided with two grooves 8 for the receipt of cigars and cigarettes, one of these grooves being at each end of the cover and being merged respectively into ramps 9 and Ill. The ramp 9 extends downwardly to a point about on a level with the lower edge of the flange I and the ramp I0 inclines in the opposite direction, i. e. toward the face of the ramp 9 and terminates short of said face a sufficient distance to provide a throat II down through which the ashes and butts slide or roll when they are placed upon either one of the ramps 9 and II). These ramps are desirably slanted to an angle beyond the angle of repose so that the butts and ashes will not lodge thereon, but will gravitate into the chamber below. The ramps and the throat I I extend the full width of the box to thereby provide a sufficiently long throat H to permit butts of substantial length to pass down therethrough without being previously broken up. With this extended throat or inlet the butts will readily pass through without care being taken as to whether they are entered endwisely of the throat or broadside, thereby rendering it unnecessary to observe any care in discarding the butts. The lower edge of the long ramp I I terminates near one end of the casing so as to thereby provide a comparatively large chamber between this ramp and the opposite end of the casing. To convert this large chamber. into a trap-chamber, I provide an additional ramp I2 at the end of the casing directly under the delivery-edge of the ramp 9. This ramp extends from the adjacent end wall of the bottom section 5 down and inwardly to a point midway of the chamber, and its inclination is beyond the angle of repose so that ashes and butts, when they are dropped onto this ramp I 2, will readily gravitate downwardly and backwardly into the trapchamber. The throat I3 extends entirely across the chamber and is approximately the same width as the throat II, so that no smoke or odors can escape from the trap-chamber except by passing through the circuitous passage formed by the three ramps. I have found by practical tests that after a burning butt is delivered into the trapchamber, there is no noticeable escape of smoke and odors up through this circuitous passage and that the still-air chamber formed by the trap quickly smothers lighted butts.

In view of the fact that it is essential that the lid section, which carries the ramp 9 shall be properly positioned with reference to the lower ramp I2 each time the lid section is replaced after cleaning, I provide simple means whereby the ends of the lid section and base section are matched. Any means may be provided for this purpose; I provide as one means a notch or depression I4 formed in flange "I and adapted to receive an upstanding lug I5 carried by the base section, this lug being desirably formed as an extension of the upper end of the ramp I2. The ramp I2 may be a separate piece having one end fastened to the end wall of the bottom section and the other end fastened to the bottom wall of the base section, or it may be conveniently formed as a part of a shell I6 fitted down into the base section, in which case the additional bottom wall formed by this shell will assist the bottom proper of the section 5 in preventing lighted butts from heating the top surface of the table sufiiciently to mar the same. It will be understood that as many holding grooves 8 as desired may be used and that they may be placed anywhere in the top surface, so long as they merge into one ramp or the other carried by the lid. Also, it will be understood that provision may be made for match-box holders.

It will be observed that my system of ramps provides a trap of such construction that the contents of the bottom shell will not be scattered over the table or room by air currents caused by electric fans or coughing or sneezing or otherwise, nor will the contents fall out of the container in the event that the same is accidentally overturned.

The proportions and contour of the device as a whole may be varied without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. An ash and butt holder consisting of a bottom section and a top section separable from each other, the bottom section being provided midway with a ramp inclining downwardly from one upright Wall inwardly toward the bottom, the said top section being provided with a butt-rest and two ramps, one of said ramps extending downwardly and inwardly and terminating short of the ramp in the bottom section to thereby form a trap-chamber in the bottom section whose only outlet is the throat formed by said ramps, said remaining ramp in the top section inclining toward the face of the other ramp in the top section to thereby form an entrance throat in the top section.

2. An ash and butt holder consisting of a closed with a throat-like entrance extending across it and with a ramp extending downwardly and inwardly to a point short of the face of the ramp in the bottom shell, the said top shell being also provided with an extension extending toward and terminating short of the face of the ramp in the top section to thereby form the aforesaid entrance throat at a point removed from the throat formed by the other two ramps.

3. An ash and butt holder embodying a top shell having an opening in its top surface and two ramps extending downwardly and inwardly from the opposite edges of said opening, one of said ramps being longer than the other and extending more deeply into the shell, thereby forming a throat between the edge of the shorter ramp and the face of the longer ramp, and a bottom shell attached to the bottom of the top shell and having its top side open, this bottom shell being provided with a ramp extending downwardly and inwardly into the bottom shell from the side wall thereof nearest the lower edge of the aforesaid longer ramp to thereby form a second throat at a point remote from the first throat, for the purposes set forth.

ABE S. GUCKENHEIMER. 

